If we can’t torture here…

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This world just gets more and more frightening all the time.

The US has been secretly sending prisoners suspected of al-Qaida connections to countries where torture during interrogation is legal, according to US diplomatic and intelligence sources. Prisoners moved to such countries as Egypt and Jordan can be subjected to torture and threats to their families to extract information sought by the US in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

Afghanistan tactics

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Didn’t we learn anything from the years the Russians spent trying to fight in Afghanistan? Apparently not.

Hundreds of American troops were pulled out of the ground battle with al-Qaeda forces because they failed to adapt to the guerrilla tactics required for fighting in the mountains, according to their Afghan allies.

(Addendum: the MetaFilter comments thread for this article has some good points, if you can dig through the partisian bickering.)

Good mileage? Who needs it?

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Well, so much for getting cars with better mileage and less dependence on oil and gasoline.

The Senate yesterday defeated an effort to increase fuel efficiency standards for cars, sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks by 50 percent over 13 years, voting instead for a measure — backed by the auto industry — that would give the Bush administration two years to develop its own mileage rules…. Yesterday’s Senate action — which included passage of a measure to exempt pickup trucks from any new fuel economy standards — followed an intensive lobbying and advertising campaign by the auto industry.